Dallas Cowboys Blog

Linebacker Anthony Barr #11 of the UCLA Bruins strips the ball from quarterback Cody Kessler #36 of the USC Trojans for a fumble and a turnover in the fourth quarter at Los Angeles Coliseum on November 30, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. The Bruins won 35-14.

Mel Kiper and Todd McShay each released new mock drafts on Tuesday. In both, the ESPN draft experts had the Dallas Cowboys selecting Louisville safety Calvin Pryor with the 16th overall pick.

During a Thursday night ESPN draft special, Kiper and McShay rotated picking for each team in the first round. When the Cowboys were on the clock at 16, it was Kiper’s turn to make a selection.

Pryor was already off the board, so Kiper went with Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. While the Cowboys could certainly afford an upgrade at free safety, former NFL general manager Bill Polian completely disagreed with the pick.

Polian, who was analyzing the choices during the show, thought the selection should’ve been UCLA outside linebacker/defensive end Anthony Barr.

“Defensive line. Pass rush. In the Tampa-2, which is what Dallas plays, you have to rush the front four,” Polian said. “Take Barr from UCLA. He’ll be fine. He’s got all the right numbers as a seven or nine technique, which is where he’ll play. His lack of physicality against the run won’t be a liability. He’s a much better pick than the safety.”

Barr dropped all the way to 30 in the Kiper/McShay combo draft. It should be noted that each selection reflected the experts call and not what they think the actual teams want.

McShay had Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan falling to the Cowboys at No. 47. Many mock drafts have predicted Jernigan to Dallas in the first round, but because he projects to be a one-technique tackle, it seems unlikely that the Cowboys would use the 16th overall pick on him. Getting him at 47 would be an absolute steal.

Kiper had Stanford offensive guard David Yankey going to Dallas at No. 78.

“A guard addition is a necessity,” Kiper wrote, “and Yankey not only provides an upgrade, but can also fill in at tackle in case of injury.”

Interesting side note: When Polian was discussing Aaron Donald, he mentioned that the Pittsburgh defensive tackle is the perfect fit to play the three-technique spot. Polian called the three-technique the most important position in a Tampa-2 scheme. To give you a better idea of how important it is, Polian said a Tampa-2 team could make the argument that they should draft Donald over South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Many are projecting Clowney, who McShay calls a “once-in-a-decade type of natural talent,” to be the draft’s first overall selection.

Donald seems like the perfect fit for the Cowboys, however, most project him to be drafted between 10 and 14.

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